Assessing Word Identification and Reading Fluency

8.1 Assessing Word Identification and Word Recognition

Learning Intentions

After viewing this module session participants will be able to: 

• Distinguish between word identification and word recognition
  
• Describe the natural confounded that exists in untimed word identification tests
  
• Identify the benefits of timed and untimed tests of word-level reading
  

View

watch the session below.

*Please see the Transcripts resource folder located in Module 0 for a text copy of the transcript from this video. 

Summary

• Word identification can occur via many routes, some are effortful
  
• Word recognition occurs with familiar words and is instant and effortless
  
• Word identification subtests confound instant recognition with strategic, effortful word reading
  
• At the elementary level, timed tests do a better job of estimating the size of the sight vocabulary than untimed tests
  

Reflect & Connect

How might the ability to distinguish between word recognition and word identification help you to assess for reading difficulties?

8.2 Assessing Reading Fluency

Learning Intentions

After viewing this module session participants will be able to:

• Distinguish among different types of reading fluency assessments
  
• Interpret word reading fluency tasks relative to a student’s broader reading assessment profile  
  

View

watch the session below.

*Please see the Transcripts resource folder located in Module 0 for a text copy of the transcript from this video. 

Summary

• Reading fluency can be assessed at multiple levels: word, sentence, and paragraph; all of these are highly inter-correlated
  
• Reading fluency may be the only indication of a struggle in reading (it is typically the only indicator in consistent written languages like Spanish or Italian)
• Differing fluency subtests may be more useful at differing grade levels (e.g., early elementary vs. late elementary vs. secondary)

Reflect & Connect

What type of reading fluency tests have you used? How have you interpreted them?